Photo by Michael Donahue

Jordan Buchanan, sous chef at Cafe Society, was influenced by mom's kitchen.

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Age: 27

Who or what was your first cooking influence? Mother. My father is from a Scottish background. So, we grew up on a lot of cabbage and potatoes and meat, stuff like that.

What was the first thing you ever cooked or baked? Basic breakfast food, French toast, pancakes, Mama's drop biscuits.

What made you decide to become a chef and when was that? I've always been a musician. I play guitar, harmonica, drums, bass, sing a little bit. But it doesn't pay very well. I was living in Tampa, Fla., and I saw an advertisement for a college online, Le Cordon Bleu program at the Orlando Culinary Academy. I went out there and looked at the school and said, "I think I can do this."

What was your first food-related job? I did my externship at a restaurant in Tampa called Timpano. It was Italian food.

What was something important that a fellow chef taught you? It's not about the pomp, man. It's just the food.

What is the Jordan Buchanan style? What's important to me is to get in here and do what I've been taught and work freaking hard at it.

Describe one of your dishes: I took it from mom's (recipe), but we take squash and zucchini and roasted tomatoes and we (take) a cold-smoked pork chop and sear it off and stick it on top of the vegetables.

What do you cook or bake at home, if anything? I don't cook that much at home. I like sandwiches. Turkey sandwiches with Dijon mustard, toast the whole thing on French bread.

What's your least favorite ingredient? Over-cooked salmon. I can eat it a little cooked. That's fine. Just salmon, a little dill, lemon --- done. Three ingredients. Perfect. Why would you cook the living mess out of that?

Cafe Society is at 212 North Evergreen; 722-2177.